The 48,0000 academic workers will continue to strike until an agreement is reached for academic student employees and student researchers
By RACHEL GAUER— campus@theaggie.org
On Nov. 28 at 11:31 p.m., the University of California (UC) and UAW 5810, the union representing two of the striking units, academic researchers and postdoctoral students, reached a tentative agreement on contracts for the two parties.
The two remaining units, academic student employees and student researchers, still must come to an agreement with the UC in order for the strike to cease. Although the members of UAW 5810 have tentatively accepted the UC’s proposal, they have chosen to continue to strike in solidarity with the remaining units until they both reach agreements as well.
A press release from UAW 5810 on the morning of Nov. 29 outlined the coming steps needed to reach a final agreement for all units.
“We expect [the UC] will start making substantial offers to Academic Student Employees and Student Researchers,” the release read.
Additionally, the membership of UAW 5810 must still vote to ratify the agreement, which will remain tentative until its ratification.
If the proposal is ratified, academic researchers will receive, on average, a 29% salary increase over the course of their contracts, and postdoctoral students will receive, on average, a 20-23% salary increase by Oct. 2023. Once ratified, the new contracts will be effective through Sept. 30, 2027.
Additionally, the proposal offers both academic workers and postdoctoral students eight weeks of parental and family leave at 100% pay, as well as more protections for workers with disabilities and free transit passes for transportation.
In the press release, Neil Sweeney, the president of UAW 5810, urged the UC to propose an agreement to the two remaining units on strike.
“It is now time for UC to make serious proposals to Academic Student Employees and Student Researchers and to reach fair agreements that recognize the contributions these workers make,” Sweeney wrote in the statement.
Written by: Rachel Gauer — campus@theaggie.org
